Think B.I.G.

March 9th has become a hip-hop holiday of sorts. As sad as the passing of one of our all-time greats has been, over the past 12 years hip-hop has learned to cope with the tragic death of the Notorious B.I.G. through celebration. I’m not sure how it goes down outside of New York, but every year DJ Mister Cee shuts down local radio station Hot 97 and plays a Biggie mega mix.

Just last week I was listening to last year’s mix on my iPod and was reminded of Biggie’s genius. And as much as he gave to us in his short time here, there was so much potential left undone. So here is my list of amazing shit that B.I.G. just didn’t get to do. What are yours? – Rob the Music Ed

Biggie and the Roots

I remember in an old interview where Big was talking about his appreciation for the Roots. If I’m not mistaken the interviewer was asking him something along the lines of, “Was his commercial sound ruining hip-hop?” The Brooklyn Don responded by saying how much he loved the culture and was actually a fan of groups like the Roots. There is no doubt in my mind that he would’ve eventually rocked with ?uestlove and company. Never do what they do indeed!

Hooking up with Just Blaze

Out of all the AB (After B.I.G.) producers Just Blaze makes the most fitting music for a futuristic Big Poppa. No disrespect to Kanye and Pharrell, but JB’s knocking drums and aggressive-yet-melodic tracks are like updated versions of the EZ Mo Bee joints that Big used to rock over in his heyday. You don’t believe me? Just listen to Jay-Z’s “PSA” and tell me you couldn’t hear the Notorious One rockin’ over that? All him to reintroduce himself, someone please make a dope remix.

A Very B.I.G. Mixtape

While mixtapes are nothing new, the mixtape explosion circa 2002 absolutely changed the game. Thanks to 50 Cent and his G-Unit clique, the idea of having an artist-driven mixtape went from being a rap novelty to a promotional necessity. With everything that Biggie accomplished, we never got that pure, uncut dope street mixtape. You can pretty much bet the farm that Puff would’ve been banned from the studio.

What’s Beef?

I’d like to think that eventually cooler heads would’ve prevailed and the East Coast/West Coast (actually the Bad Boy/Death Row) beef could’ve been squashed with Biggie still alive. It would’ve been crazy if Snoop and Big collaborated on a Dr.Dre, Puff Daddy co-produced banger.

Life After Diamond

After creating such an amazing album it would’ve been great to see Big carry out his vision. How different would the “Mo Money, Mo Problems” video be if Frank White was actually in it? Would “Sky’s the Limit” have even been a single? Maybe him and Kellz would’ve rocked “Fuckin’ you Tonight” on some best of both worlds shit or better yet maybe we would’ve got a “Kick in the Door” video. The possibilities are endless.

Award Tour

How fucking crazy would Diddy’s “No Way Out” tour would have been if Big Poppa would’ve been on it? Lil Kim, Junior Mafia, The Lox, Ma$e, Puff and B.I.G?!? Oh yeah, don’t forget Jay was originally slated as an opening act for that too.

Undeas Ent.

When you think about it, it’s kinda crazy that Cam’Ron was originally Big’s artist. How much different would Cam’s career had turned out if Biggie was at the helm? For sure he would’ve aided Cam in branding Dip-Set, ‘cause spreading love was the Brooklyn way; but would Killa have ever ended up on the Roc? Doubt it.

Frank and Marshall

I’m not afraid to admit that I wasn’t a fan of B.I.G.’s posthumous “Dead Wrong” with Eminem. It’s just really hard to put two greats like that on a track that wasn’t even meant to be heard in the first place. Instead I wish we could’ve seen Big and Em on a track they created together ala Jay-Z’s “Brooklyn’s Finest.”

One King

Jay-Z versus Nas was EPIC, but that would have been nothing compared to an Esco/Frank White battle. Nas proclaimed, “There’s one life, one love and there can only be one king.” Big responded with, “Ain’t no other kings in this rap things they siblings/Nothin’ but my chirren, one shot they disappearin’.” Man someone may have gotten their career ended.

The Commission

Before he passed, Big spoke of a rap super group named the Commission that would rival (and most likely eclipse) Nas’s Firm clique. Consisting of Diddy, Lil Cease, Charli Baltimore, Jay-Z and Biggie himself, fans go ape shit at the mere thought. It could’ve been the greatest hip-hop moment, EVER!

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skmdkm

1st

I AM BARAK OBAMA

HONESTLY NOT TO HATE BUT BIGGIE WOULDNT OF DONE MUCH FOR THE GAME!! U HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THERE WAS A WHOLE COAST THAT DID NOT REALLY FUCK WITH HIM ESPECIALLY AFTER PAC DIED… AND ALSO BIGGIE WAS GOIN COMMERCIAL!! THAT WASNT HIS THING BUT PUFFY WANTED THE COMMERCIAL BUZZ WITH HIM..DONT GET ME WRONG BIGGIE WAS GREAT BUT THE EAST-WEST BEEF WOULD OF STOPPED HIM IN HIS TRACKS JUST HOW IT REALLY HAPPENED,PAC DIED HE DIED!!!

Remember Dre and Snoop had a whole coast that didn’t fuck with them either. But great artists prevail. If BIG would’ve lived he would’ve eventually won over the west. Folks would’ve realized how stupid that shit was.

I wonder how big Hov would have been if Biggie was alive, or if he woulda still be rockin with Bad Boy.

http://tonygrands.blogspot.com tony grand$

Damn, 12 yrs.

I think Biggie would’ve broken a lot of barriers, as far as the music goes if he would’ve stepped away from the Money, Murder, Material lane. @ some point, it would have be necessary to venture into things like songs with the Roots, west coast collabs, otherwise that Big Willie style would have gotten boring.

Or maybe that style of hip hop actually got boring because he did it so well. Maybe the shiny suits & Coogi socks would still be popping if he had the chance to keep it going.

Vlogs are the new mixtape, & as much as Puff stays with his ass on my computer screen, Big would’ve been worldwide, right next to him.

If he hadn’t passed though, I believe quite a few dudes would still be unsigned hype chasing a recording contract.

Rob the Music Ed

I have the feeling that Big would’ve eventually left Bad Boy.

http://tonygrands.blogspot.com tony grand$

He would’ve had to Rob. In the interviews before he got killed, you could hear it in his voice, he was growing as a man & an artist.

If we the people could see that, though, you know Puff did. & with all the rumors of Puff’s bad business, it might not have been that easy.

Pierzy

Supposedly, “Born Again” was going to be a triple album and his final on Bad Boy

amar

absolutely hate to say it, but biggie would’ve become more and more commercial and less and less critically acclaimed. Maybe 3 mediocre good albums followed by a banger classic stillmatic style.

http://tonygrands.blogspot.com tony grand$

Whaddup P?!

I used to listen to Ready to Die, then Life After Death back to back all the time. You could literally hear the momentum building. An actual Born Again CD was bound to happen, but unfortunately……….

I don’t think Puff would have been so reasonable though. Big would’ve have been on some “Free Lox” shit.

DETROIT

if biggie would’ve left bad boy, he wouldn’t have been as good. it’s funny that so many people luv biggie and hate puff at the same time. puff is a hitmaker! he made mase, black rob, and shyne sound good! with out puffy, biggie woulda still been a great new york lyricist, but he wouldn’t have been considered one of the best rappers in the game!

amar

puff’s like trump – you admire his skill and business sense, but know that he got to the top by being a heartless prick and in puff’s case, biting, stealing and lowballing.

speaking of biggie leaving badboy though…what if big l and big were both alive and signed to rocafella and then stayed with rocafella? Imagine big l and biggie rapping over kanye beats…

i’m not sure how relevent jay-z would be though in that case

DETROIT

what up amar:

big had undeas records…i don’t think that he would’ve ever worked for jay-z! also, as far as puff being a bitter, that’s true, he bit the beat for “juicy”, “big poppa”, “more money more probs”, etc. and as far as puff being shady, most business men are “shady”, but the problem with rappers is that they have so lil business since that they sign slave deals. Then they get big and wanna blame the nigga they work for. my point is that biggie was bigger than jay, because his songs catered to a broader base. AND THAT WAS BECAUSE OF DIDDY! think about it, jay came out with dead prez as his 1st single, big came with “juicy”. THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE PUFF MAKES! There are still some jay-z fans that have never even heard dead presidents!

$ykotic

What up homies!

Yeah 12yrs later, so many questions still unanswered.

But BIG and Un were gonna start their own label(Camron). BIG was supposedly going to really manage Jr Mafia’s career.

I think he would’ve took the Lox with him.
He had a brewing beef with Rae also.

I don’t even feel right speculating on something that will never materialize.

BIG would’ve been critized for Life After Death…people would be saying he fell off cause his second album wasn’t as dope as the first album

{80′s Babies Killed Hip Hop}

Big died for a reason! Before he died he was coming out with a clothing line called 666..yes, no bullshit! think about how many *ignorant* niggas woulda been wearin dat..dats tha mark of the beast for all u nonbelievers! For every work of evil the devil offers up a dead sacrifice! R.I.P Big.

capcobra

stop listening to that crazy preacher on youtube..big clothing line was brooklyn mint.

capcobra

life after death is the best cd/tape/album ever made..period….r.i.p big.

FlapJack

Just Blaze should make a mixtape with Big-verses like Mick Boogey and them stay putting out.

Cam was Big’s artist huh?

Nice drop Rob

Pierzy

Well done, Rob.

“One King

Jay-Z versus Nas was EPIC, but that would have been nothing compared to an Esco/Frank White battle. Nas proclaimed, “There’s one life, one love and there can only be one king.” Big responded with, “Ain’t no other kings in this rap things they siblings/Nothin’ but my chirren, one shot they disappearin’.” Man someone may have gotten their career ended.”

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Co-Sign all day!

Joey Montana

B.I.G Forever!

G.O.A.T

Bobo D

There are too many what if and maybes in this world to diverge in what might have happened to him in the year 2009.
Would he have fell off or would he be still rocking hard rhymes?
Would he be be on auto-tune or would he be rocking skinny jeans(shrugs at the thought)?
Would he become a business tycoon by having fast food chains around the world, “Harold & Kumar Go To Big Poppa’s”?

I don’t know, so can’t we just enjoy his work. “Yesterday is a history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is a gift, that’s why it’s called present” –Old turtle dude from Kung Fu Panda.
RIP B.I.G.

“You can pretty much bet the farm that Puff would’ve been banned from the studio.”

lmao

riderb

R.I.P BIG man the world misses you I truely hope your chiiling in heaven becuase you changed the game with your man Puff. This day 12 years ago was one of the saddest days of my and alot of other opeoples lives. No disrespect to Pac, Big Pun, Big L, Freaky Tah, Stack bundles Soulja Slim, and others who have passed who blessed the mic. BIG was just the GOAT for real

Devon

Man it would have been a perfect world of this was true an these popcorn artist would just B good family reunion dance music

El Tico Loco

I think if Biggie was still here, Puff would still be Puff no Diddy no Sean John clothing and probably in the same boat Dame Dash is in now, and Lil Kim would be a different kind of crazy and he woulda talked her into posing nude for Playboy and maybe even Black Tail. Faith Evans would be serving time for killing Superhead and if Camron was his artist? Then Children of the Corn members woulda probably had solo deals for each member and a group deal all together in different labels which means no Dipset and Cam and Ma$e would still get along.

Trenton Watts

Big would of evolved into a Bigger then life star. His wit, charismatic personality would of took him into a whole different light. I think you would see dude on CNN, Saturday Night Live, all types of shit.

As far as Esco vrs Frank, that shit would of been classic. Nas Murdered Sean but this would of been the greatest battle of all time. In my Opinion Big would take the crown….

God only blessed this man with 25 years on this earth.. IF he would off switched his sound up from that dark bullshit production he was dealing with, then more cats would really here what this man was saying in his raps. G O A T

Juzzy

Still sad :(

jester

biggie & the roots wud have been sick but i wud have luved 2 hear biggie & d12 on sum sick shit… him & bizarre wud have had bitches runnin 4 their life from a cd player fillin their arses wiv tissue!

jester

nw a joint wiv biggie & just blaze wud have been amazin but i wud have really enjoyed him droppin shit on scott storch… ifd joe can do it then biggie cud do it better!

jester

biggie ona jst blaze beat shit tha wud b outta this world i wud have luved biggie 2 rock a scott storch beat 2… joe can do it but biggier cud do it better!

http://www.incilin.blogspot.com Incilin

We need to spend more time listening to Big’s music and breaking it down, as opposed to playing the stupid ass what if game. As interesting as everything you said was, it still doesn’t mean any of it would have happened. In fact, its more likely that Big woulda had wack music and he woulda fell off (like everyone does).

http://xxlmag jb

I think B.I.G topped out at Life After Death. Unfortunately for him that album was so great I think his other work would have been highly criticized because of it. Similar to Nas with Illmatic. You can’t improve on perfection.http://www.myspace.com/lidujay

louie mo

I’d like to think that eventually cooler heads would’ve prevailed and the East Coast/West Coast (actually the Bad Boy/Death Row) beef could’ve been squashed with Biggie still alive. It would’ve been crazy if Snoop and Big collaborated on a Dr.Dre, Puff Daddy co-produced
_______________________________________________
that shit just sounds stupid ……….

http://xxlmag jb

It’s not stupid. Dre expressed interest in working with B.I.G. before he passed. Him and Snoop would have definitely happened. Especially considering that Snoop has worked wit Puff, Kiss, Jay, Nas, Lil Kim and just about every other major east coast artist there is.

yung

no disrespect to BIG but if he were alive people would be talkin about him like he was yesterdays news just like how they speak about nas and jay today. theyd be callin him too “old” to be rappin or how he aint as good as he used to even if it werent the truth. too many haterz nowadays. its pretty sad but true. regardless, ine of the best, if not the best, to ever do it and he defiantly would of torn it up if lived just a lil bit longer.

FlapJack

Where is Just Blaze anyway?

Last thing I remember was some nike commercial with Juelz a couple of years back.

No, Live your life never happened

Rob the Music Ed

He did the new Maino record feat. T-Pain also.
He also did a Jay Electronica record and Saigon’s “Believe It” from last year.

DETROIT

that maino song was awful…sounded just like “live your life” by ti!

in a perfect world, just blaze would be the dipset’s in house producer!

jester

biggie & the roots wud have been sick but i wud have luved 2 hear biggie & d12 on sum sick shit… him & bizarre wud have had bitches runnin 4 their life from a cd player fillin their arses wiv tissue!

nw a joint wiv biggie & just blaze wud have been amazin but i wud have really enjoyed him droppin shit on scott storch… if joe can do it then biggie cud do it better!

if we had a biggie mixtape we wud really kno wat was goin fru his mind… u kno diddy calmed dwn in the studio!

2 b honest i dont fink the beef wud have come 2 an end cumon look wat pac said dont get me wrong i wud have luved 4 em 2 hook up… pac was a hard head & biggie had pride!

if biggie stilled i blieve he wud have had 3 trax on each disc (DISC 1: hypontize, last day & mo, money, mo problems DISC 2: goin back to cali, nasty boy & skys the limit) u kno the videos wudun b so flashy!

the tour wud have been outta this world havin biggie, diddy, ma$e kim, mafia, chuck, lox & jigga etc… u kno he wud have had kellz & jacko 2 fuck the young groupies!

i fink if cam was biggies artist there wudun b a dip but a diff movement… like cam & ma$e instead of jimmy he wud have got chuck a deal!

if biggie was alive dead wrong wud have been much stronger… but then again if biggie didun go how we kno dre wud have gone lookin 4 slim mayb he wud have got dwn wiv biggie!

i dont fink the beef btween him & nas wud have gone 2 the grave… but i fink 1 of there ppls wud have got stomped, knifed or shot!

u kno well we all kno the commission was biggie, jigga & chuck… but tha wud have still been harsh b #1 group!

DETROIT

nobody mentioned that big and un’s first artists were CAM, C. Baltimore, and lil kim! if he woulda kept that going, the whole dipset woulda eventually been underneath big’s umbrella! that woulda been a sight to see!

also, big was a simp ass nigga, gettin all his jumpoffs record deals…lol!

http://yahoo.com dbys

now i fucks wit biggie but to call him tha greatest ever???? naw i dont c it not even in new york but thats just me.r.i.p 2pac and biggie tho

BX Poster Child

Actually in an XXL interview, Biggie talked about retiring after 2000, and managing Juniro Mafia’s career. So alot of that stuff may have not happened

BX Poster Child

Before he died, Fat Joe was planning to make a song with Biggie & Pun on the same track. Imagine how big that would have been (no pun intended)

FlapJack

Fat Joe said Twinz was supposed to be him and Big, and they were gonna put out an album

Notorious

MAN! you niggas need to stop hating! all this talk about he woulda fell off! fuck you! he said it himself i cant talk about the same shit because i’m not livin it no more i got different problems. if he were still alive talkin that shit still you bitch niggas would be critisizing him for lying. you niggas are straight stupid! all i got to say is BIG is the greatest!

http://www.msn.com west philly’s finest

All this is wishful thinking he was like one of the first rappers talking retirement. He had plans to start clothes companies and open restaurants.

Khayan from the bronx

WOW!!!! I REALLY THINK MOST OF YALL ON HERE MUST BE THE 20 AND UNDER CROWD. WE WOULD HAVE TO BE ATLEAST 16 IN THAT EARLY 90′S ERA TO REALLY UNDERSTAND BIGGIE. 1ST OF ALL HE IS TOP 3 OF ALL TIME. (ACTUALLY #1 IN MY BOOK) I READ ALOT OF YALL SAY HE WAS GOING COMMERCIAL. ARE U SERIOUS, DID YALL EVEN LISTEN TO LIFE AFTER DEATH. THAT WAS THE BEST DOUBLE ALBUM EVER. I CANT EVEN IMAGINE WHERE BIG WOULD HAVE BEEN IF THEM STUPID NIGGERS DID NOT HATE ON HIM SO HARD. HE WAS THE BEST IN THE GAME AT A TIME WHEN THE RAP GAME WAS A ALL STAR GAME. SNOOP, PAC, JAY Z, NAS, WU TANG, THE NO LIMIT MOVEMENT….THIS CATS WAS ALL IN THE PRIME AND WE STILL CALLED BIG THE KING. BIG WAS WRITING RHYMES FOR A WHOLE RAP GROUP ( JUNIOR mAFIA)…AND THEY HAVE CLASSIC SONGS…..RAPPERS THESE DAYS CANT EVEN PUT THE PEOPLES IN A GOOD SPACE AND DUDES BE NICE. JUST FORGET WHAT HE DID FOR LIL KIM… HER 1ST JOINT SOLD MILLIONS. ALSO DONT FORGET HE PRETTY MUCH WROTE THE WHOLE NO WAY OUT ALBUM AND THAT SOLD SEVEN MILLION. LET THE BEST IN THE GAME GET ON JOINTS WITH HIM AND STILL WAS THE BEST ON THE TRACK. AND ALL OF THIS WAS DONE IN A 5 YEAR PERIOD…AND REALLY NOT 5 BECAUSE HE WAS LAID UP FOR OVER A YEAR. AND SOME OF YALL YOUNG CATS GOT THE NERVE TO DOUBT WHAT HE WOULD HAVE DONE WIT A COUPLE MORE YEARS…LOL…JUST LIKE BIG SAID “STUPID MOTHER FUCKERS” RIP G O A T

BIGNAT

i am only 26 now but i knew big was something special back then. people looked forward to a new biggie single like that shit was a whole new album. i remember playing suicidal thoughts for the first time that song was something else. also you are right i never heard a better double disc by another rapper. also big was already singing back then playa hater big did not need the autotune.

King Joffy Joe

MY question is, I wonder if Jay-Z ever would’ve came at B.I.G. on some “King Of N.Y.” shit. Think about it. How would B.I.G. be feeling if he were still alive when Jay dropped The Blueprint? God bless the dead but, there can only be ONE true K.O.N.Y.

http://www.justice.gov.za GO-Getta’

Lemme b’ frank not white,ya dig?
All these MC’s Jayz,Gorrilla Black & Shyne etc will neva’ ‘ve cn the light of the day.

Flow so sick still nobody is even worth mentioned 2nd best in that category but 1 flaw with Big is he neva’ really touched social issues like say Nas & Pac , so 4 that alone the crown will eva’ be debatable.

marz

r.i.p. big. eventually he would have gotten called out agian, and would really have to battle someone. i would put redman before big. thou..

biggie didn’t even write all his own ryhmes.

Rob the Music Ed

Who says Big didnt write his own shit?!?

BIGNAT

marz who said biggie didn’t write his own rhymes? we know he wrote some of kim’s stuff and junior mafia stuff. if big was still alive i think he would have only did a couple albums. spent more of his time making money off of other people. big and puff would have had bad boy know as the home of the hits. the commission in my mind would have only worked until jay got really big. then he would not wanna share the money and the spotlight no more.